Attention bias for chocolate increases chocolate consumption – An attention bias modification study

• Published in: Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry 2014-03, Vol.45 (1), p.136-143
• Main Authors: Werthmann, Jessica, Field, Matt, Roefs, Anne, Nederkoorn, Chantal, Jansen, Anita
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Adolescent; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Antisaccade task; Attention; Attention bias; Attention modification; Attentional bias; Bias; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Cacao; Chocolate; Craving; Eating; Eating behavior disorders; Eye Movements; Eye-tracking; Female; Food; Food Preferences - psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Hunger; Illness and personality; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Modification; Motivation - physiology; Overeating; Personality, behavior and health; Photic Stimulation; Psychiatry; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Surveys and Questionnaires; Visual Analog Scale; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0005-7916; 1873-7943
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2013.09.009

Abstract Objective The current study examined experimentally whether a manipulated attention bias for food cues increases craving, chocolate intake and motivation to search for hidden chocolates. Method To test the effect of attention for food on subsequent chocolate intake, attention for chocolate was experimentally modified by instructing participants to look at chocolate stimuli (“attend chocolate” group) or at non-food stimuli (“attend shoes” group) during a novel attention bias modification task (antisaccade task). Chocolate consumption, changes in craving and search time for hidden chocolates were assessed. Eye-movement recordings were used to monitor the accuracy during the experimental attention modification task as possible moderator of effects. Regression analyses were conducted to test the effect of attention modification and modification accuracy on chocolate intake, craving and motivation to search for hidden chocolates. Results Results showed that participants with higher accuracy (+1 SD), ate more chocolate when they had to attend to chocolate and ate less chocolate when they had to attend to non-food stimuli. In contrast, for participants with lower accuracy (−1 SD), the results were exactly reversed. No effects of the experimental attention modification on craving or search time for hidden chocolates were found. Limitation We used chocolate as food stimuli so it remains unclear how our findings generalize to other types of food. Conclusion These findings demonstrate further evidence for a link between attention for food and food intake, and provide an indication about the direction of this relationship.